Letter of the Day (June 12): Rental housing

Updated: June 11, 2012 - 9:01 PM

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The Star Tribune last week gave rental housing a one-two punch. On June 7, a front-page story ("Renters take bigger slice of Twin Cities") highlighted cases of visual blight and unneighborly behavior associated with rental housing, while on June 9, a story in the metro section ("Landlord-city feud snares tenants") described unsafe and unhealthy conditions found in the apartments of one of Minneapolis' major landlords.

These stories would encourage a reader to speak out against any rental housing being proposed for his or her neighborhood. Yes, the type of rental housing described does exist, particularly for lower-income households. Even with falling property values, the economics of owning and running rental housing make it very hard for the market to serve low-income families without cutting corners.

This is why our public investments are so critical; they fill the gap between what low-income households can afford and what it takes to have a well-managed, attractive property that can be welcomed into a community. I would like to see more stories that profile the high-quality apartments being financed by our state and local housing agencies.

CHIP HALBACH, ST. PAUL

The writer is director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership.

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The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.
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